Despite the presence of numerous traditional news outlets, many residents in Delaware County turn to alternative sources for local news and information. Luckily for them, they are not in short supply.

Social media influencers, bloggers, and community group moderators/administrators all play a role in helping spread news and information to local residents.

Efforts centered around social media, particularly Facebook, may have the greatest impact.

In a Qualtrics survey, local residents shared that the Delaware County Times, the county’s sole daily newspaper, was where they got most of their information on local news.

Second on the list? Facebook.

Groups on Facebook play a very large role in spreading information to local residents. Delaware County has dozens of groups dedicated to local information on the platform. Some are hyperlocal to specific communities. Others, like Delco Sound Off, have a county-wide focus.

Delco Sound Off, a Delaware County resident Facebook group, allows locals to discuss news and share resources and recommendations directly with each other.

“Emergency type stuff, township issues, anything to do with Delco where, maybe they don't hear it in traditional media,” said Joe Vaccone, the community group’s founder and administrator. “Schools, roads, townships, public safety issues—anything like that.”

Other sites, like the Chester City Help Incident and Resource Page—or Chester CHIRP—provide real-time updates on various matters in the area, from accidents, storms and even lost pets.

There is also a Substack dedicated to news and information in Delaware County.

Delco Rising, a one-man newsletter and Substack highlighting Delaware County politics and government, launched last summer. The independent publication combines more traditional reporting with non-traditional platforms.

“I cover … all sorts of local issues, and try to kind of connect a lot of the local stories to the bigger picture,” said Nick Giannini, Delco Rising’s founder. “So there's a lot of connecting the dots there for people, making it sort of digestible.”

You can’t talk about non-traditional media without mentioning social media. Delco Rising gets much of its engagement by posting on a handful of channels.

“Facebook, Nextdoor, Reddit, Twitter or X, Bluesky, I really use to engage with people and promote all of the articles that I'm posting. Reddit seems to be a good driver for engagement, as well as Facebook,” said Giannini.

Savvy Main Line is another digital operation serving Delco.

Savvy is an online magazine that took off during the pandemic, a time when many Delaware County residents were seeking local news and stories of local businesses and individuals doing good work. The independent publication highlights local businesses and changes throughout Main Line communities.

“I'm just like a community booster slash journalist in a lot of ways,” said Caroline O’Halloran, founder of Savvy Main Line. “I really try to do original reporting. I do a little bit of aggregation from other sources; I’m always attributing. I'm old-fashioned that way.”

“I do a lot of journalism by walking around, which means my head’s on a swivel all the time,” she added. “I am looking at signs outside of buildings. I'm checking construction sites, anything, any kind of change. I'm very attuned to my community.”

While the platforms may vary, many non-traditional media figures still feel connected to more traditional journalism practices.

CMP Radio, a digital community radio station, has also carved out its own space.

“There are people out here who want to get the news out to the community. There are people out here that want to talk about what they want to talk about,” said CMP’s founder Jean-Pierre Brice.

By opening the airwaves to the Delaware County community, CMP provides a space for locals to broadcast and podcast, once again bringing together aspects of traditional and non-traditional media. In an area as increasingly diverse as Delaware County, this fusion appears to be the future of the county’s media landscape.

“I just saw that my community needed to be able to talk about the things that were affecting us. We needed unity. We needed compassion. We needed to take inventory of the things that we had too much of and the things that we didn't have enough of,” said Brice. “I think we've been able to do that and move forward.”